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Blueprints - April 2004 Edition
Villanova reporter chats with Matthew Perry and Bruce Willis
By Caitlin Collins ’05

A big fan of the Flyers and the city that they call home, Bruce Willis, who now resides in sunny California, still yearns for a good Philly cheese steak. I learned of his predeliction for Philly’s favorite food after he cheered “Go Wildcats” when I spoke to him on the phone on March 26.

I did speak to Willis on the phone, as well as to his good friend and colleague Matthew Perry, but sadly; it was not because they are personal friends of mine. Rather, preparing for the April 9 release of their newest movie “The Whole Ten Yards,” Perry and Willis participated in an executive teleconference. In an effort to generate publicity for the movie, a sequel to the 2000 movie, “The Whole Nine Yards,” Perry and Willis spoke with several representatives from collegiate newspapers and radio stations across the United States and Canada. Participants were hand selected and each one was able to pose one question to the actors and then listen to the responses that their questions provoked.

Approximately 20 collegiate journalists asked a myriad of questions of the actors. The queries ranged from asking the actors if they feel they get type cast to asking Willis if there would be another Diehard movie, to “were you guys class clowns in high school?” Perry and Willis fielded all of the questions with their great senses of humor. They teased each other, the interviewers, and the person conducting the call throughout the process.

Willis started the chat by telling reporters that he and Perry were located on the 27th floor of the Regency hotel in L.A. The actors did discuss important and serious aspects of the movie, such as the new director and writer of the sequel. Willis called the making of “The Whole Ten Yards,” “a great creative experience.” However, even the most serious questions gave way to humor from this dynamic duo. Perry joked that he’ll “never be done being scared of Bruce.” True to the form that they apparently present in the movie they “tried very hard just to be goofy.”

When called upon to ask my question, quite a few had gone before me. As the mediator of the call announced my name and affiliation Willis erupted with a lively “Go Wildcats” cheer. After sharing his cheese steak antidote, he gave Perry a turn to talk who asked if I spelled my name with a “c.” Upon my positive response Perry proclaimed, “Well that’s my sister’s name!”

I asked the celebrities to recall some funny moments from the shooting of the movie. They both told me that they were fortunate to have most of their funny moments in front of the camera. Perry and Willis highlighted the performance of Kevin Pollack, whose character was killed in the first movie, but comes back as the father of the dead man in this film, as the funniest part of the production.

Franchise Pictures released “The Whole Ten Yards,” directed by Howard Deutch. Kevin Pollack, Amanda Peet, and Natasha Henstridge, who were all in “The Whole Nine Yards,” reappeared in the sequel alongside Perry and Willis. The film is a production of Cheyenne Enterprises and is rated PG-13.

The film, which depicts more escapades of Nicholas "Oz" Oseransky, D.D.S and Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski, Perry and Willis respectively, although under two directorship, promises to be just as funny if not more so than “The Whole Nine Yards,” according to the actors. In the film, Jimmy, who in the first movie escaped a life of crime with the help of Oz, is living a tranquil life when Oz seeks his help because his wife has been kidnapped. Although Jimmy does not want to help at first, his mind is changed when Lazlo Gogolak, Pollack, a Hungarian mob boss, arrives on the scene. Gogolak wants to avenge the death of his son, which occurred in the first movie. Both Jimmy and Oz will have to go “The Whole Ten Yards” to survive the mayhem that ensues.

Reporters from other collegiate institutions such as George Washington University and Brandeis interviewed these seasoned professionals. Both Willis and Perry have had impressive careers. Perry’s most popular credit has been his role as Chandler Bing on the hit NBC comedy “Friends,” which is in its 10th and final season. Some of his film credits include, “Fools Rush In,” “Serving Sara” and “Three to Tango.” Willis is of course famous for his “Diehard” movies as well as his role in “The Sixth Sense” and countless other films. The actors have previously appeared in film together, as in “The Kid.”

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